Every week, Lennart Swahn would interview two personalities well known to the Swedish public. For this particular show, Birgit Nilsson had particularly asked to be "paired against" Zarah Leander whom she had admired for years.

It's a light entertainment format and no huge revelations are to be expected. Both stars cracked jokes - Birgit was hilarious telling the tale of when she broke her shoulder at the Met Opera. The singers were meant to be standing on some sort of device held up with struts. Birgit said that unfortunately that night the fattest ones were performing and the whole structure gave way.

They both gave examples of songs that the other might have been expected to perform - there was a clip of Zarah singing an aria from a Gluck opera and Birgit sang from the musical "My Fair Lady" and had a whale of a time. They both sang Zarah's signature song, "Vil ni se en Stjarna". Zarah gave a rendition of the best performance I have ever seen her do of "Sang om Syrsor".

There is added piquancy that this was Zarah Leander's last TV performance.

Unfortunately neither grand dame is with us any longer. This is a fitting tribute to both of them.

Swedish cinema is renowned for psychological depth, austere beauty, and philosophical inquiry. It often focuses on existential questions and societal critique, marked by a stark visual approach. In contemporary times, it has also developed a sharp satirical edge in examining social issues.

Max von Sydow and Bengt Ekerot in The Seventh Seal (1957)

Chat show hosted by Lennart Swahn whose format is that of two well-known stars meeting on the show, hence the title which means Star against Star or Star to Star.

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Stjärna mot stjärna

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